A Journey of a Different Kind
by fenix-ashes
Summary: (Sequel to Dragons can't cry) Yes Ash and Lance got together but now they need something to do. Enter the pokemon leauge again?
1. Default Chapter

-Blah- means pokémon talking

Blah means telepathy [mind to mind speaking]

Blah means one-sided telepathy

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, would you really believe me if I said I did?

Satoshi snarled slightly through clenched teeth, this was not good.

"Butterfree! Use confusion!"

The butterfly pokémon shrilly called out "Freee!" before hitting Sato's Pidgeotto full on. He grinned; knowing that this particular bird acted almost like a copper wire would for electricity, only with psychic attacks. They would pass through her, possibly giving only the slightest hint of dizziness before going into her power source. Too bad for his opponent.

"Pidgeotto!" He called, the bird slightly inclined her head towards her 'trainer' waiting for his orders, or rather suggestions, Charlotte wouldn't be ordered thank you very much. "Use fly!"

Pidgeotto flew up, up, farther than most could see her but still visible to Satoshi. "Butterfree, harden!" The opposing trainer was a bit wild-eyed, she probably hadn't expected for Satoshi's pokémon to know that many powerful moves. Sato looked up searching the clear skies for his pokémon and spotted a growing speck, shooting towards the butterfly. "Butterfree, dodge it!" His opponent's frantic attempts at escape didn't work; Charlotte hit her mark, sending the already weakened bug to the floor where it promptly fainted.

Both of the trainers returned the pokémon to their balls, murmuring the regular platitudes to the creatures before meeting it the middle of their battlefield to shake hands. Once the regular tedium of battles was past they turned and walked away from each other. Sato, to continue towards the next city. And his opponent, Grace, to move back into her ambushing place.

One of his pokéballs opened, releasing a familiar red dragon, -That was amusing, I would have expected for you to be able to recognize an ambush by now.-

Satoshi blushed in embarrassment and didn't respond, he should have been able to recognize the signs that he was walking right into a trap. But he hadn't, he had been distracted by thought. –What's wrong?-

The dragonair curled in loose circles around him, managing to not be confining but comforting, nothing.

Lance clearly didn't believe him but ignored Satoshi's lie, -we should probably stop somewhere soon, it's already five o' clock and you haven't eaten yet.-

Yes mother, he replied.

Lance sighed.

Satoshi stared into the flames of the campfire, watching the bright violet light that you just couldn't notice with weak human eyes. Lance had decided that he would be the one to find the food for all of them and any pokémon who decided to drop in. So Sato was left with nothing to do but think.

Lance had claimed he loved him but how could he? Dragons didn't love, sure they could have familiarity with their trainers but that was it. If they mated it was only to continue the race. They never did it for fun, never stayed together for longer than necessary to send of younglings.

So was that why he felt so torn about Lance? He himself was a dragon, and as such was a solitary creature. He was also a human, and as such craving comfort and contact with his race. That wasn't a good combination. Right now he still thought like a human, would it stay that way? Or at some point would he just turn into a dragon entirely and live completely in the moment?

"Pika pi?"

The purple dragon turned his head to gaze at the Pikachu standing off to the side, her yellow fur orange in the light, Yes?

-What's wrong?-

Nothing's wrong. Satoshi turned to look back to the flames, hoping that Pikachu would just leave him alone. She unfortunately didn't catch on.

–Pika pi.- Sato ignored her.

-Pika pi?- The sadness in her voice almost made him break and tell her what was wrong- almost, but not quite.

He watched out the corner of his eye as Pikachu turned away, -Pika pi, if you are sad than I'm sad and all of us who love you are sad. Do you want for all of us to be sad?- She glanced at him one more time before scampering off to sleep on a sun warmed boulder.

Was there something wrong with him? Was that the reason why he doubted Lance's sincerity?

Satoshi shook his head, it just didn't matter. He was on pokémon journey again, that meant he would have to be more alert than the half-awake state he seemed to be in. _Pokémon first, everything else later. _That was what he followed, that was what he needed to do.

He turned and looked over at the trees, pokémon were scattered over the branches and the ground, sleeping away the night as a few remained on guard. A noctowl hooted from a branch and looked at him from crimson eyes. With a pang Sato remembered his old noctowl, it was one of the few he hadn't recovered.

When he had registered to go back to the pokémon league professor Oak had tried to give him a charmander, saying that it was all that he had at the moment. Satoshi had shown him Lance and said that he would be his starter. After a bit of arguing Sato had convinced him. Turning to leave Pikachu had stopped him and tried to leave with her Pika pi. After a bit more negotiating Satoshi was allowed to battle the pokémon, if he beat them Ash could keep them.

Rather unsurprisingly most of the pokémon had willingly let themselves lose, all of them wanting to be back with their former master. Only a few of the pokémon actually fought him and only a few were missing.

A few including his old noctowl, had left, not wanting to stick around now that there was nothing left for them.

So he had left with more than enough strong pokémon to win almost any tournament. That had made him sad, the best part of capturing pokémon seemed to be the actual training, and now most of them didn't need training.

He had still walked the beaten paths down the road, and in the process Lance had come up with an idea. There were plenty of pokémon in the wild who needed to get a lot stronger, so they had sent out the idea to the surrounding area that if any pokémon needed to get stronger they could train with them, without being caught in the process.

Soon enough quite a few of the wild creatures would start following them around, even a few of them were willing to be caught and travel with him. Charlotte was one of them. The Pidgeotto thought that being caught was inevitable but all of the humans who did it were idiots, so naturally she had thought it would be better to be caught by another pokémon who just happened to be posing as a human.

The fire crackled and popped, startling him. Satoshi snorted, that was enough thinking for one night. He shifted and put his head on his forepaws, feeling safe that nothing bad would happen. Even bad guys needed sleep sometime, right?

Lance tiredly curled up next to Satoshi, all of the pokémon under their care were fed and now all that was left was to go. to.. sleep... Dreams were already playing with his mind before his eyes were closed.

A crobat wheeled overhead, holding a small camera in it's claws. On the other end a Rocket leaned closer to the screen, a smirk gently pulling at his lips. Giovanni would have to give him a promotion for _this._

R&R?


	2. nd chapter

Shuu- Yeah, it does suck, it's also what's causing a lot of problems between them.

Ryuzu- :sweatdrops: the bit about the title of the story, well… I'll put it this way, 1) I had forgotten the episode, 2) the name sounds cool and 3) have you heard of the movie/book (I can't remember which) called Boys Don't Cry? They can but it's still used as a title. Anyway, as for your other question, Satoshi was in dragon form when he went to talk to prof. Oak so he didn't recognize him until later.

Blltiger- :shrugs: I really don't know.

Shadowphantomness-Yes I am Blood aura, or rather, I was. Have fun hosting. About Charlotte, I'm sorry, I read your fic a while ago and kind of forgot who she was. When I was writing this story I just needed a name for one of the pokemon following Satoshi around and charlotte just seemed to fit. I was wondering though, I won't be able to keep writing (check with my bio) so I was wondering if you could finish the story for me? Please?

Blah- means pokémon talking

Blah means telepathy mind to mind speaking

Blah means one-sided telepathy

Disclaimer: I don't own this, surprise, surprise.

Another gym, another battle.

Satoshi walked out of the Cerulean city pokémon center, Lance swimming through the air beside him. I think that went rather well all things considered, the Cerulean sisters are usually harder to beat.

They _were_ out of practice. They were only scheduled to return from a trip around the world a few days after I died. Anyone else might have found it odd that Satoshi was referring to himself in past tense. Satoshi just found it funny that he didn't have an aversion to admitting to his own death.

Ah, Said, or rather thought, Lance. Even I had trouble beating them when I started. Maybe you should challenge them again after regaining championship?

Probably a good idea, they didn't seem to like me much. If I don't later on they would probably challenge me when I apply for championship. His stomach rumbled. I suppose we better go and find something to eat now? Ash said sheepishly.

Instead of responding Lance delicately turned his snout to the air and sniffed. Catching Satoshi's eye he flew off, slow enough for him to follow but fast enough to make a normal person sweat. Satoshi however, didn't, it wasn't as if _he_ were a normal person.

Satoshi bit into the steak with gusto, the only problem being he couldn't bite a piece off. Lance snickered quietly over his bowl of meat puree, muzzle dripping with red gristle. The human shaped dragon wrestled off the morsel and looked at Lance and informing his with extreme dignity, "You look disgusting like that." Lance just snorted and dived into the bowl for another mouthful of steaming hot entrails.

In the corner of the four star restaurant a red light blinked from a small camera.


End file.
